Student Bloggers

I have officially been in London for a week, and let me tell you that this has been one of the longest weeks of my life. A jam-packed week on top of jet lag made every day seem like an exciting marathon. Each day has brought with it tons of experiences, which I’ve summed up into a Pains and Gains list for my first few days:

Pains: Saying goodbye to my parents, Red-eye flight on a nervous stomach, jet lag and the subsequent sickness

Gains: LONDON, meeting awesome people, Primark, hard cider

Leaving home last Sunday was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was scared like crazy to leave, and I knew that above everything I would miss my mom a lot while over here. Thankfully, I flew over with a friend from my home school, and spending time with her soothed my anxieties. Taking an overnight flight makes a lot of sense because it doesn’t waste much time, but I had a hard time sleeping, so I arrived at London Heathrow with very little sleep or food. Navigating Heathrow with 2 suitcases was a challenge in and of itself, but my friend and I eventually found the friendly sight of red Arcadia shirts and could relax. After moving into my hotel room, the rest of the day was spent trying (and failing) to not fall asleep. The following days were filled with orientations and events held by Arcadia. Each day was spent fighting off feeling jet lag and finding food that I would like (as you will soon find out, I’m quite a picky eater).

On Wednesday we finally moved into the dorms at Queen Mary, and finally I felt less exhausted and more comfortable with all the people I was meeting. Queen Mary presented its own Pains and Gains however:

Pains: Sharing a shower with 5 other people, learning a new campus, living with strangers

Gains: Meeting even more people, finding food I like at the grocery store, single room

At Queen Mary (or as the students call it QMUL), I live in a flat (look at me, using British slang) in a single room with 5 other students, one of which is a friend in the Arcadia program, and 4 of which are exchange students from Brazil. Within a day I was friendly enough with the flat mates to go out to a pub, because having a pint of hard cider is always acceptable here! I also got to experience the amazing store that is Primark. My feeble attempt at describing Primark is if Forever 21, H&M, Target, and Bed, Bath & Beyond had a baby. This store is pure gold and I will have to restrain myself from shopping there weekly. I also experienced by first tea! Friday, QMUL took us on a boat cruise on the Thames River complete with afternoon tea. Although I reveled in how British it felt, I am not a huge tea person, so I merely took little tips of my overly sugared tea and enjoyed the sights and company.

By the time Saturday rolled around I was looking forward to sleeping in like I had never slept before. No orientation meant I didn’t have to set an alarm and my jet-lagged body has never been happier. After finally getting out of bed, I explored the biggest and most confusing mall I ever been in- Westfield Mall. I spent that night with a friend from my home school who’s studying in London through Temple’s program. It was great to see an old familiar face, and we had a lot to catch up on. The Tube makes seeing her so accessible, so I’m comforted knowing that she’s only a Tube ride away. Sunday I took a guided bus tour QMUL set up, and I learned a ton about the city. The history that accompanies London will never fail to amaze me and is one of the biggest reasons why I love it here. I then went to Camden Lock Market, which is an immensely large market filled with vendors of all types of goods. I will definitely spend some time (and some pounds) there in the coming months.

Monday brought on a new challenge, as it was my first day of classes. Unlike in America, I only have every class once a week, so I only had one class today for two hours. I was extremely nervous for this class, because I am taking only the second part of a two-part class. However, I quickly befriended the other American student in the class (it’s amazing how quickly I latch onto other Americans), so now I have someone else to commiserate with when we feel overwhelmed. It’ll take some getting used to hearing a British accent coming from almost every student and professor, but it’s not a bad accent to listen to in my opinion! I’m looking forward to my other classes this week and the routine I will, hopefully, quickly develop.

I can wholeheartedly say this first week has been a success. I have made new friends and seen a lot of great sights. I believe that my experience can only go up from here, and I am strapped in and ready to go wherever the wind may take me!